In this powerful and heart-wrenching episode, we speak with Dave Neese, the father of Skylar Neese—a bright, spirited teenager whose life was tragically cut short when she was brutally murdered by two girls she considered her best friends. Dave shares Skylar’s story with honesty, courage, and a deep commitment to preventing similar tragedies. This episode is intended for school counselors, educators, youth advocates, parents, and anyone who works with adolescents. Together, we explore the warnin...
Jun 01, 2025•45 min
Terrence and Eileen Houlihan are a dose of what we all need right about now! They are knowledgeable and so much fun! In this episode they share a portion of the expertise they offer during their coaching or professional development sessions. Get ready for school counseling wisdom related to the developing student brain, as well as information we should be sharing with teachers, and even some tidbits for parents! This episode is one you will want to repeat in order to get all of the pearls of wis...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Youth sex trafficking is a growing problem in today’s world. Often, individuals don’t understand what trafficking looks like in the United States...especially in rural areas. In this episode Adria Palmer focuses on the signs of trafficking and what we, as educators, can do to educate our families and communities. Adria is a high school counselor in Missouri and was the 2007 Outstanding Young Professional from the University of Missouri-Columbia and the 2020 Secondary School Counselor of the Year...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr
You will definitely not want to miss this episode with our panel of behavior experts! They are answering the burning behavior questions that some of our Behavior Detour participants submitted. We guarantee you will nod your head as some of these questions are asked. So many of us are experiencing similar behaviors, no matter what age group or location you're in. This episode is full of rubber meets the road strategies you can implement immediately. Position yourself as a leader and listen and sh...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 2 min
We're gonna be honest- this episode is a chaotic hot mess, but our guest is amazing and joins us to share the fantastic school counseling initiatives he has started in the state of Kansas. Nick Brummett is one of our new obsessions due to his rubber meets the road ideas and general school counseling prowess. Get ready to take notes! You'll want to join in or start some of these same things in your own school counseling program!
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 9 min
If you're like us, you might have thought that The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children solely focused on helping locate missing children; however, the word "Exploited" actually covers a lot of the situations we as school counselors deal with on a daily basis. In this episode Alejandra from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shares how this organization can support educators and the work we do daily. Join our Behavior Detour Conference!...
Feb 12, 2025•53 min
In this episode Geoff Heckman joins us to talk about the importance of advocating as school counselors. Geoff inspires us to be fearless in our role, even when we do feel scared or intimidated. This is a great episode to listen to whether you're preparing to become a school counselor, or if you are a veteran school counselor. Join our Behavior Detour Conference!
Feb 02, 2025•52 min
In this episode we are joined by Lisa Pruitt. She describes the incredible work that is being done through the MO-CPAP (Missouri Child Psychiatry Access Program). There are endless resources available to school counselors, other educators, and parents through this program. Listen to the end to hear our friend, Mallory Jacobs talk about ways to incorporate the movie Wicked into your school counseling lessons.
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 5 min
As school counselors it is inevitable that we will have students who will be in CPS care each year. In this episode MJ Matthews shares ways that we can support students and families who are in foster care or who have already transitioned to the adoption process.
Dec 02, 2024•55 min
Grief is something that is unavoidable. It is almost guaranteed that at some point through the year you will be counseling your students through their personal grief. School counselor Jodi Fiore's mother was a huge personality, not only at home, but also in the community. In this episode Jodi shares how she processed the death of her mother as a young child, and how it has given her insight on how to talk with students about grief as a school counselor. She graciously shares those tips with us t...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 10 min
In this episode Dr. Karen Gross joins us to talk about her new book, Mending Education. Dr. Gross explains so beautifully why some of the processes and procedures are failing to work the same way they worked pre-pandemic. She shows us some of the changes that actually worked really as we educated students through the pandemic, why we should keep them in place, and how the rush to return to "normal" may have actually caused some of the behaviors and frustration we are witnessing and experiencing ...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr
No matter where you are in your school counseling journey, sometimes it is great to talk with someone who is just beginning their journey. In this episode we talk with Shae, a school counseling student, and get her perspective on the future of school counseling, what she is being prepared for as far as the uptick in behaviors, and what she wants veteran school counselors to know. This episode is a great reminder of why we do what we do, and we hope it serves as some inspiration to reach out to s...
Oct 13, 2024•46 min
If you've been a school counselor for longer than 5 minutes, you have most likely used a resource from Julia Cook. In this episode she shares how she got started, why she loves school counseling, and what she has coming up next! The things she talks about in this episode will save you time, make you successful, and position you as a leader! Sign up for Cookie Bytes
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Kriya Lendzion has been called "The Teen Whisperer." Once you listen to this episode, you will understand why! In this episode she shares statistics about addiction, primarily related to vaping, but she includes alcohol and even screen addiction! She also shares strategies and how school counselors can advocate for policies to help support students overcoming their addictions. This is one of those episodes that ALL educators and parents need to hear! Click here for Kriya's resource page! Sign up...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Our roving reporter, Mallory Jacobs, was on the streets of the ASCA conference, talking with YOU about all of the things you learned and loved about the conference this year. If you haven't been to an ASCA conference, we would highly recommend listening to this episode so you can start advocating now to join us next year! Take a listen- you might hear yourself, and at the very least we think you'll at least chuckle here and there! Owala Water Bottle Growing Your Program Course Wait List Alabama ...
Aug 10, 2024•35 min
There are several topics that school counselors have to share each year that feel uncomfortable or difficult to talk about. Many of these topics are required, but that doesn't make it any easier! In this episode we're giving you resources and ideas on ways to cover these difficult topics that school counselors need to talk about. Here is a link to a free lesson on hygiene.
Aug 07, 2024•55 min
This episode is full of various ways to take your school counseling program to the next level. In this episode, School Counselor Extraordinaire, Sarah Nauman, joins her administrator, Dr.. Heather Baker, to talk about how they collaborate to find new approaches to behaviors and programs. This collaboration has led to advocacy opportunities for Sarah as well as school and community buy-in for her program. This is one of those episodes that you could listen to multiple times and find new informati...
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this episode former Missouri Teacher of the Year, Darbie Valenti Huff, recounts the story of a student named Junie. Junie had behavior issues, hygiene issues, you name it! School counselors and all educators need to hear this story about a student who seemed almost impossible to help. We all have students like Junie. Listen to find out what became of Junie and what educators can do to reach the seemingly unreachable. Book Darbie to do a powerful PD at your school: darbieh@msta.org Find her on...
Jul 07, 2024•1 hr 14 min
Are you making the switch to another grade level? This time of year can feel like "fruit basket turnover," and can leave you wondering what to take with you to your new office, how to interact with the students in another age group, and how to run your program effectively at another school. We are tackling this topic in this episode!
Jun 28, 2024•26 min
If you can only listen to one episode this week, MAKE IT THIS ONE!!! Mallory Jacobs is a force in the school counseling world. She has been named the Kansas School Counselor of the Year, and she wears the crown well! She exudes joy, spreads positivity, and has a gift for seeing the best in most situations. In this episode she shares how she does that, and why, as school counselors, it is sometimes necessary for us to do this with our students.
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 3 min
If you're like us, one of the areas we lack training in is eating disorders; however, without fail, we have students each year who struggle with this. In this episode Lauren Dorman, Mental Health Registered Dietitian, shares the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating. She gives us tips to share with parents and ways we can help our students. Click here to download Lauren's Myth Fact Sheet Click here to visit Lauren's website Signs and Symptoms of Disordered Eating...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 12 min
It's that time of year again! Aspiring new school counselors are venturing out to land their first job, or maybe you're listening because you are sitting in on the interviews for other positions in your school. Whatever your reason- even if only for the laughs, we believe some great leadership tips and dos and don'ts are being shared in this episode. Click here to join the Summer Counselor Conference Click here to purchase our book, Growing Your Program for School Counselors...
May 29, 2024•34 min
In this episode we are sharing 5 tips to help you finish your school counseling year strong. These 5 tips are also a great way to ensure that you start your school counseling year by "plowing your first row straight." We talk a little about data, organization, evaluations, and some topics that we really don't even want to put in writing! 🤣 🐉 iykyk Growing Your Program for School Counselors Book Growing Your Program for School Counselors Course...
May 08, 2024•42 min
In this episode we will be talking about our recent New York City adventure. We are also sharing the responsibility we have as school counselors to share the voice of our students, who are the most marginalized and vulnerable members of society. Some of our discussion includes training teachers to understand student voice. In our course, Growing Your Program, we share the specifics of how we train teachers to understand the story that our students have. Join the Waitlist for Our Course...
Apr 29, 2024•46 min
Sandy Austin answered the call to help victims and families on the day of the Columbine school shooting 25 years ago. In this episode she shares her story and the inspiration behind her B.I.O.N.I.C. program. Check it out and start changing your school's culture today! Click here to check out B.I.O.N.I.C.
Apr 16, 2024•57 min
Stress contagion may be a new term to you, but it refers to the phenomenon where individuals within a group or social network can "catch" or be influenced by the stress levels of others around them. And whether it's your first or your fifty-first year in a school, please let us remind you that 'tis the season for stress! Understanding the relationship between stress contagion and school counselors is important, and we have some strategies to help you keep that stress contagion from spreading! Mi...
Mar 24, 2024•50 min
School counseling means sharing in rites of passage for our students. Moving to the next grade is one of those! In this episode we're sharing a few rubber meets the road things you can get started on now to make transitioning to the next grade level go smoothly for your students and teachers!
Feb 27, 2024•34 min
Whether you're the building test coordinator or not, this episode is full of school-wide tips that everyone can benefit from! We are sharing 7 of our best tips plus a few extra "rubber meets the road" strategies. We haven't met anyone who loves standardized testing season, but in most states it is a requirement. This episode may help bring some calm to the chaos that surrounds the testing season. Growing Your Program Wait List Attack the Test Lesson Bee Ready Test Taking Lesson Train Your Brain ...
Feb 19, 2024•38 min
Tis the season for so many school counseling tasks! Then again, when ISN'T the season for so many school counseling tasks?! When there are too many school counseling tasks and not enough time, we might start to feel hopelessness, anger, bitterness, frustration, and burn out. We believe we have 5 ways to avoid these pitfalls. Listen for a few strategies that just might help you avoid burn out this season!
Feb 12, 2024•33 min
We recorded this episode on the go, literally! But with the need for behavior strategies at an all-time high, we felt like it was imperative to bring this episode to you! In this episode you'll get to hear from not one, not two, but three behavior experts! These guests will bring powerful strategies and practical applications that you can help teachers implement in the classroom. These are 3 of the speakers we will be having at our upcoming Behavior Detour Conference. Sign up now by clicking her...
Feb 06, 2024•35 min
